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	UN Special Advisers express deep concern over reports of escalating ethnic tensions in Ethiopia by Pramila Patten, Karen Smith Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect   July 2021   Banning Genocide Denial in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect   On 23 July, 2021 Valentin Inzko, the outgoing UN High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, issued a decree outlawing the glorification of convicted war criminals and the denial of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The decree introduced jail terms of up to five years for anyone who “publicly condones, denies, grossly trivializes or tries to justify” atrocities committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.   The amendments were announced amidst an increase in divisive political rhetoric glorifying convicted perpetrators such as Ratko Mladic, former Commander of the Bosnian Serb Army. On 8 June an international appeals chamber in The Hague upheld Mladic’s conviction for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.   Some Bosnian Serb politicians have refused to accept Inzko’s decree. On 30 June the parliament of the Serb Republic – one of the two major political components of Bosnia and Herzegovina – unanimously adopted its own legal amendments in order to punish individuals who “disparage or label the Serb Republic or its people as genocidal or aggressor.”   The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, stressed that the “denial of genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity, as well as glorification of those who have committed such crimes, simultaneously feeds on and strengthens contested narratives about the past, the present and the future. It turns perpetrators and war criminals into heroes. It sows fear, mistrust and hate. It divides people, communities and States.”   Acknowledging and pursuing accountability for past atrocities is a crucial part of the ongoing struggle for truth, reconciliation and non-recurrence.   It is imperative that all victims and survivors of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina receive the recognition and justice they deserve.   Nov. 2020   UN Special Advisers express deep concern over reports of escalating ethnic tensions in Ethiopia. (Reliefweb)   The United Nations Acting Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Ms. Pramila Patten and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, Ms. Karen Smith expressed deep concern over reports of escalating ethnic tensions in Ethiopia and recent military clashes in the Tigray region, in which many civilians have allegedly been killed.   The two Special Advisers have received reports of incidents of ethnically and religiously motivated hate speech, incitement to violence and serious human rights violations including arbitrary arrests, killings, displacement of populations and destruction of property in various parts of the country.   The Special Advisers strongly condemned reports of targeted attacks against civilians based on their ethnicity or religion.   The Special Advisers observed that ethnic violence in Ethiopia has reached an alarming level over the past two years. The two senior UN officials noted that stigmatization of certain ethnic groups, including the Tigray, Amhara, Somali as well as the Oromo among others has significantly contributed to ethnic intolerance in the country.   “The ongoing ethnic rhetoric, hate speech, incitement to violence and attacks prevailing in Ethiopia constitutes a serious threat to internal and regional stability and should immediately be addressed to avert further escalation of widespread violence,” the Special Advisers warned.   Ms. Patten and Ms. Smith stressed that ethnically motivated attacks and reportedly ethnic profiling of citizens constitute a dangerous trajectory that heightens the risk of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, commonly referred to as atrocity crimes.   In the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, the Member States of the United Nations unanimously pledged to protect populations from these crimes. While the protection of populations is the primary responsibility of States, the international community also has a responsibility to assist national authorities in protecting its populations whenever necessary.   “We strongly urge the Ethiopian authorities to take urgent measures to protect its population from further violence and strongly encourage them to seek assistance from the international community, including from the United Nations and regional actors to aid in deescalating the rising tensions in the country, especially ahead of the forthcoming elections”, the Special Advisers stated. They warned that if these urgent measures are not immediately taken, the risk of atrocity crimes in Ethiopia remains high.   * 15.11.2020:   At least 34 people have been killed in a "gruesome" attack on a passenger bus in Western Ethiopia. (Reuters)   Gunmen in western Ethiopia killed at least 34 people in an attack on a bus on Saturday night, the national human rights body said on Sunday.   The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said the number of people killed was likely to rise after what it called a “gruesome” attack on the passenger bus in the Benishangul-Gumuz region. It said there were reports of “similar” attacks, and of people fleeing the violence, in other parts of the region.   “The latest attack is a grim addition to the human cost which we bear collectively,” Daniel Bekele, commission head, said in a statement. He urged regional and federal authorities to work together on a strategy for Benishangul-Gumuz due to the “unrelenting pace” of attacks there. Armed militia men killed at least 45 people in the same region in September, according to the Ethiopian government.   The violence comes amid a civil war between the Ethiopian government and the restive Tigray region in the country’s north.   http://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/public-statements.shtml http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/un-high-level-officials-express-deep-concern-over-escalating-ethnic-tensions http://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/about-responsibility-to-protect.shtml http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/12/ethiopia-at-least-100-dead-surge-of-violence-against-ethnic-minorities/ Visit the related web page
	Put human rights at the heart of the recovery by UN Office for Human Rights   The COVID-19 pandemic has hit societies at their core. All parts of our societies have been hurt - medically, socially, politically, economically - revealing new and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities that pose a serious threat of leaving even more people behind.   Poverty, inequalities, discrimination, exclusion, environmental degradation have fuelled the human tragedy that the world has seen unfold. These and other gaps in human rights protection have collided with entrenched political, social and economic crises around the world, making societies more vulnerable to the coronavirus.   As numerous countries around the globe have entered their second wave of the pandemic, it has become abundantly clear that, once the crisis over, we simply cannot go back to how the world was before. From this shared tragedy comes an opportunity: for humanity to build back better, we must put human rights at the heart of the recovery.   The pandemic has reminded us all of a simple truth: a world that fully respects the human rights of all is a world better prepared to deal with and recover from all crises.   To recover better means strengthening our commitment to human rights and to achieving the goals set out in the Sustainable Development Agenda. It means fixing inequalities within and among countries; creating universal health and social protection systems; addressing environmental degradation; strengthening institutions; and tackling structural human rights violations, which have fed the spread and severity of COVID-19.   It means urgently addressing the climate emergency and creating a world that is just, inclusive, and equal – and therefore more resilient and prepared to meet future crises.   The phrase "We are all in this together" is now more relevant than before. From individuals to Governments, from civil society and grassroot communities to the private sector, everyone has a role in building a post-COVID world that is better for present and future generations. We either stand together, or fall apart. And with human rights at the heart of the COVID-19 response, we will recover, better.   To recover from the crisis, we must also address the inequality pandemic. For that, we need to promote and protect economic, social, and cultural rights. We need a new social contract for a new era.   • The pandemic is accompanied by devastating and planet-wide social and economic impacts, which both exacerbate and feed from pervasive inequalities within and among countries.   • An effective response must address inequalities, focus on those in vulnerable situations in order to leave no one behind, and work to reduce and ultimately eliminate environmental harms such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.   • Fulfilling all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, the right to development, and the right to a healthy environment, reduces disproportionate impacts on the poor and marginalized, who are among those worst impacted by both COVID-19 and environmental harm.   • Never before has the responsibility of governments to protect people, by guaranteeing their economic, social and cultural rights, been so clearly demonstrated.   • To save both lives and livelihoods, it is time to invest in universal health care and universal social protection – prioritizing the most vulnerable. Investment in economic and social rights yield resilience and foster more just, equal and sustainable societies.   • For the time necessary, measures such as cash transfers and employment guarantee schemes must be put in place to protect human rights of those in the informal sector and ensure a life of dignity.   • Debt standstill and relief can help countries meet their obligations regarding right to health, food, water and sanitation, housing, education and especially to finance universal health coverage and universal social protection.   • Even in times of crisis, governments still need to provide people with the minimum essential they need to live in dignity -- health, food, water and sanitation, education and housing. Visit the related web page
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